It’s still only August, but apparently the fall new release season has already begun. In a rich week for new music, Drake “takes on” the super-sized EP from Sufjan Stevens and the latest full length from perennial Drake faves Les Savy Fav. -ed.
Drake’s Take: New Releases 08.24.10
Last week in August should be wasteland, which is the perfect place to drop a surprise EP on an unsuspecting audience, but there was more than just Sufjan Stevens‘ 60 minute EP to be had. There’s also the latest from Les Savy Fav, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, Eels, Ra Ra Riot, Dead Confederate, !!!, The Capstan Shafts, metal purveyors The Sword, a star-studded collection to benefit New Orleans and a single from No Age. Whew!
Playlist: New Releases 08.24.10
Sufjan Stevens – All Delighted People EP
Stream / Purchase [mp3]
When an album is 60 minutes long, can it really be called an EP? Sufjan Stevens’ latest stealth release (who saw it coming?) is an album length exploration into rich orchestration and self-indulgent turns with little or no cohesion between the songs. It’s manna for those who are Sufjan-starved, but after a few listens I understand why he’s calling it an EP: because he doesn’t want it to count. Essentially, it’s a single that got out of hand. If you’re patient, you’ll wait for the real album in October (The Age Of Adz), because that will count (just not towards 50 state project, aparently.
Les Savy Fav – Root For Ruin
Stream / Purchase [mp3]
LSF has always been a tremendous live act, thanks in part to Tim Harrison’s bonzo act, but the albums never lived up to the gig until 2007’s Let’s Stay Friends, which finally put everything together for the band. Three years later and it feels like they’ve used that as a template to try expand their audience a bit towards the mainstream, and the album probably suffers a bit. But this is still LSF and the best songs (“Appetite” & “Lips & Stuff”) aren’t going to get played on rock stations. No, that honor will belong to “Let’s Get Out of Here,” which sounds like a mid-90’s alt-rock hit in the making, full of Foo Fighter hooks and Pixies twists. It will be interesting to see if the song does indeed widen their reach, but I have a feeling Beardo is still going to be for us weirdos.
More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Hawk / Free AOL Album Stream
No Age – Glitter (Single) / “Glitter” [mp3]
Eels – Tomorrow Morning / Free AOL Album Stream
Ra Ra Riot – The Orchard / Free AOL Album Stream
!!! – Strange Weather, Isn’t It?
The Capstan Shafts – Revelation Skirts
Dead Confederate – Sugar
The Foxymorons – Bible Stories / “Skinny Cow Blues,” “Say It Aloud” [mp3]
The Sword – Warp Riders
JP, Chrissie and The Fairground Boys – Fidelity! / Free AOL Album Stream
Magic Kids – Memphis / “Superball,” “Summer” [mp3]
Land of Talk – Cloak and Cipher / Free AOL Album Stream
Mogwai – Special Moves (Live) / Free AOL Album Stream
Paul Collins – King of Power Pop!
Grass Widow – Past Time EP / Free AOL Album Stream
JJ Grey & Mofro – Georgia Warhorse / Free AOL Album Stream
The Intelligence – Males EP / Free AOL Album Stream
Various Artists – Dear New Orleans
REISSUES
The Sex Pistols – The Great Rock & Roll Swindle / Free AOL Album Stream